1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to a multi-use vehicle support and lift for raising vehicles to a desired working height to facilitate repairs for collision damage or to perform general repairs.
2. Description of Related Art.
During the 1970s, the United States automobile market was dominated by vehicles constructed with traditional framed chassis. Traditional frame construction uses a steel frame, usually under the vehicle, as a base to which the body and other components are affixed.
The middle of that decade witnessed many changes in the U.S. automobile market. The introduction and eventual explosion of unitized constructed vehicles led to greater competition between manufacturers. The technological improvements and consequent advantages of unitized construction in basic body design, the materials used, and the introduction of safety zones dramatically improved occupant safety. The ability of the foreign manufacturer to change a model's styling without the necessity of complete retooling was a major production advantage.
A variety of economic and regulatory factors forced the domestic manufacturers to move away from framed construction toward the unitized body in the late 1970s. By then most foreign manufacturers had perfected their production methods and had gained an increasing sales volume advantage over domestic manufacturers.
A more discerning public demanded increased active and passive safety in the automobile, and the uni-body constructed vehicle provided both.
In unitized constructed vehicles, the components of the inner and outer body function as the frame. A unitized constructed automobile body is produced with closer tolerances, and the main structure is constructed using high-strength low-alloy steel. Some manufacturers are beginning to use components of plastic for cosmetic panels. All these factors render the repair of the unitized constructed automobile extremely complex, even more so than the traditional repair techniques and processes required for full-framed vehicles. In many cases, less "power" is required by the body and frame alignment equipment to pull the unitized constructed vehicle back into alignment.
The move to the unitized constructed body by the domestic automobile industry and the inroads made in the U.S. market by foreign manufacturers have accelerated the need for multi-use products in collision repair facilities. These products must have the versatility and adaptability to function not only as body and frame alignment repair systems for both unitized and frame cars, but also must be capable of being employed in other avenues of repair and service. Collision repair equipment must now provide convenience of work flow through the repair facility, more comfortable working heights for the technicians to increase their productivity, less movement of the cars through the shops during repair, and (because of the multi-use capabilities) must cut the equipment investment costs to the facility.
Overall economic conditions of the collision repair industry in the U.S. and other countries have produced a need for more versatile body and frame alignment equipment, equipment that can be used for purposes other than body and frame alignment, such as use as a car lift. In the last few years, cars have become lighter in weight and smaller in size, making it all but impossible for a repair technician to do anything underneath or on the lower body section of the vehicle without raising the whole car up to a comfortable working height.
Prior lift devices have been constructed to accommodate portable pulling devices to be used to pull the frame and body into proper alignment when needed. In almost every instance, collision damaged vehicles must be raised one or more times during repair, although some may not need to be pulled with the pullers.